November 20, 2024 • 46 mins
What if the essence of giftedness extends far beyond a number on an IQ test? Join us on "Gifted Unleashed" as I chat with Gloria Jensen, an inspiring coach and energy healer with a mission to uplift highly sensitive and gifted adults. Gloria opens up about discovering her giftedness as an adult with a cultural background where such conversations were virtually non-existent. Her candid reflections on societal stereotypes and the emotional hurdles of embracing her unique traits offer a fresh perspective on what it means to be gifted. You'll hear how qualitative assessments and the support of professionals help redefine giftedness beyond mere test scores.
Gifted individuals often navigate a turbulent sea of emotions and self-perception challenges. In exploring these emotional landscapes, we'll uncover how connecting the mind with the body can be enormously transformative. Gloria shares insights on how gifted people frequently attempt to think through emotions, only to find true integration through physical awareness. The episode emphasizes the importance of acknowledging intense feelings and developing strategies to manage them, advocating for a holistic approach that combines cognitive understanding with sensory experience. Gloria's journey reveals how creative outlets and body-level work can foster profound growth, empowerment, and perhaps a touch of joy along the way.
As we round out the episode, Gloria introduces her blog and new podcast "The Inner Space," which serves as a beacon for those seeking self-discovery and personal growth. Through shared stories and free coaching sessions for her upcoming podcast, Gloria creates a platform for individuals to explore their gifted identity without the constraints of labels or test scores.
Be sure to connect with me through giftedunleashed.com for more resources and community engagement. Your journey into understanding giftedness and tapping into your potential starts here, and we're thrilled to have you along for the ride.
Would you like to work with me 1:1 as your gifted and 2e coach? Please send me an email at hello@giftedunleashed.com or find more information about my coaching offer on my website giftedunleashe.com/coaching
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Gloria helps neurodivergent adults to deal with their intense mind and emotions, develop deep self-knowledge of their "user's manual", and create a fulfilling and serene life. To discover how to develop emotional and mental serenity, click HERE and to create a fulfilling professional path, click HERE.
Learn more about Gloria Jensen at gloriajensen.com and her blog
Would you like to be part of the podcast and receive a free coaching session? You can fill out this form. Please note that spots are limited and new sessions might only be available again starting in spring 2025.
Would you like to work with me 1:1 as your gifted and 2e coach? Please send me an email at hello@giftedunleashed.com or find more information about my coaching offer on my website giftedunleashed.com/coaching
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nadja (00:02):
Hello and welcome to Gifted Unleashed, where we talk
about the gifted and twiceexceptional brain and how it
affects our thinking andexperience of the world
differently.
There are a lot of stereotypesand stigma around the term
giftedness, and I'm here tochallenge those.
I'm here to raise awareness andto have a conversation around
the topic of what it means to bea gifted and twice exceptional
adult.
Common experience among giftedfolks is that they feel out of
(00:24):
place.
They don't quite fit in.
They're too sensitive, toointense, too emotional, too
overexcitable and too deepthinkers of the world and about
themselves.
So if you have been called toomuch of about anything, this
show is for you.
I'm Nadia.
I'm too loud, too colorful, toobubbly, too bossy and I love to
talk too much.
So welcome to my world.
I'm so happy you're here.
Too bossy, and I love to talktoo much.
(00:47):
So welcome to my world.
I'm so happy you're here.
Hello, today we have GloriaJensen on the podcast.
Gloria and I we met at the SENDconference in 2023 and we just
hit it off, and I had to get heron the podcast because Gloria
is a coach and an energy healerspecializing in supporting
highly sensitive and giftedadults.
She is the founder of GiftedInterview published on her blog
(01:08):
to demystify and inspire, andthrive at being gifted.
Her approach is multicultural,at the crossroads of several
European countries and now alsothe United States, she helps
neurodivergent people deal withtheir intense minds and emotions
, develop deep self-knowledge oftheir user's manual to create a
(01:28):
fulfilling and serene life.
So, without further ado, hereis Gloria.
Welcome, gloria, I'm so excitedto have you on the podcast
today.
Thank you so much.
Nadia, me too.
Yeah, it was so amazing to getto know you and meet you at SANG
(01:58):
.
Nadia, me too, and I'm soexcited to have you here today
and share your story.
Gloria (02:10):
Yes, it was such a beautiful encounter for me too,
because it was my first Seng andsharing that with you and like
such a beautiful two, three days, I can't remember yeah it was
short but really really great.
Nadja (02:17):
Yeah, it was also my first Seng conference and it was
really really great to meet you, but also everybody else at
Seng.
So let's start with you.
I mean the topic of giftedness,and maybe people can already
hear a little bit.
You are European.
How did you learn about yourgiftedness?
Gloria (02:40):
So later in life, because I didn't grow up like I
guess, from people who grew upin America.
It's a bit more common to dotesting at an early age.
So what I've heard fromAmericans it's usually they know
they're gifted, even thoughthey might not know what it
means exactly.
I grew up in France where atleast maybe where I grew up and
(03:04):
it wasn't such a topic, so Ididn't hear about it and it was
more, like I can remember, as ateenager you would have the
stereotypes of gifted is a mathgenius like the classical,
someone who is super smart,maybe not super social, and like
something that doesn't live inmy reality and it's really later
(03:27):
in life.
I can't even remember.
I was already working aftermaybe 26, 27 or even a bit later
.
I heard about it actuallythrough a friend of my mother
whose son was identified asbeing gifted and as she told her
a bit the journey with her sonand it's a very good friend for
(03:48):
my mom and as she heard herspeaking about a few things, she
was like maybe I want to tellto Gloria about it and I was at
that time living in England andwe met.
She gave me a book, a Frenchbook, which is really like a
classic in this topic, and I waslike OK, but she told me more
(04:08):
about the sensitive part, likethe emotional part, where she
could recognize me and thechallenges I had as a child and
teenager and even after as anadult.
And as she gave me that book, Iwas like OK, and I started
reading the book and I had sucha weird or special relationship
to the book because on one sideI was like wow, this is speaking
(04:29):
to me so much.
You know, like typically allthe testimonials and you feel
understood and you're like, wow,it's a relief, almost against
my mom because like why did yougive me this thing?
Like I'm not gifted, like allthe smart part that you imagine
(04:49):
of being gifted.
I felt very alone actually withthe topic because at that time I
didn't do the job I am nowdoing as a coach.
I wasn't so connected online soI was really not aware of all
the resources that we have now.
Today we have much more online.
You just type around giftednessand you will find so many
resources.
So that was really the.
(05:10):
I felt very alone and I feltlike I cannot be arrogant and
pretend to be gifted.
Yes, I can recognize theemotional side and some of the
challenges, but the smart side,the intelligence, was like I'm
not, I'm not special, and that'swhy I was almost reading a bit
the book and then I was puttingit by side and then I read again
(05:32):
, like read this back and forth.
And then I until I thought, okay, let's, let's find
professionals to speak to andnot just stay with a book by
myself.
And you know I wouldn't speakto anyone about it because
really it's a quiteuncomfortable topic when you
just heard about it and you haveall the cliches and stereotypes
(05:52):
and I believe for also part Iwas going to say for many I
can't say that, but it's like,oh, I can recognize myself some
of the traits, but am I thatsmart, or that's the, at least
the representation we have?
And for many it's really like abreak.
You know, on your own journeyyou are like, well, no, you go
(06:16):
back and forth.
And then I was like, okay,let's meet a professional who
does the test.
And at that time I didn't knowthat one thing is to be able to
do the test and one thing is tobe a professional who really
knows about giftedness.
And the first encounter I hadwas not super good.
I didn't feel comfortable withthe person.
Yeah, just what I brought, andalso because at that time I had
(06:40):
done so much self-developmentwork that I didn't bring some of
the challenges that manyprofessionals who might just be,
like, I would say,superficially trained on the
topic would identify.
Ok, you are only gifted.
You know, before they decide todo the test with you, they do a
pre-assessment and it's kind ofdidn't fall in the I would say,
(07:00):
the more negative side that isassociated with giftedness,
because I had done a lot of workon myself, I had changed
profession, I had done a lot ofemotional work.
So I felt like kind of the morenegative side, I was dealing
better with it.
So the person was kind of a bityeah, she was like, well, maybe
it's better to just work on thethemes that come with
(07:22):
giftedness, maybe let's see forthe test.
And just like I didn't feelunderstood at all, I was like,
okay, I'm not going to do thatwith this person.
And I kept on searching and thenI found someone who also and
that was the difference whoreally knows about giftedness.
He's training professionalsabout this topic.
(07:42):
He's doing conferences in manydifferent countries.
He was not just actually that'snot even his job, doing tests.
He was really informing peopleabout what it means to be gifted
and I had a quick chat with himand I jumped, which is a bit
crazy.
I decided to train myself intoreally the topic of supporting
gifted adults.
So at that time I was trained asa coach and I was like, ok, if
(08:07):
I'm not gifted, great, I willhave another specialty,
something where I can help otherpeople, and if I am, then it's
the best way to enter in thetopic.
So it might sound weird forsome people.
I really jumped like in the bigocean, I would say, and not
just tiptoe and see if I want togo in.
But I guess it was just thesense.
The intuition of this personknows what he's talking about
(08:29):
and I really want to have theopportunity to dive deep,
understand, ask all thequestions I have, benefit from
real professional, great support.
And this training was overthree days and, oh my God, that
was whoa.
So so many things came upduring these three days because
(08:52):
of course it was to supportother gifted adults.
But first, when you receiveinformation, you receive it also
for yourself and also, I think,as a professional whether you
are a coach, a psychologist, youalways need to do the work for
yourself to then be also able tosupport other people.
So I embarked on the journey.
Really it was super emotional.
(09:15):
I remember crying in theevening about everything that
came up.
It was a playground, abeautiful playground, with all
the people who were attending.
Also, the training were gifted,so someone had already done the
test.
I really could go in with allmy questions and that was, I
think, the starting point for meto like OK.
My body reacted and said to meyou are gifted.
(09:39):
Like I could, I could start tointegrate in myself what it
means, because it was really notthe stereotypes anymore.
It was like having a deepunderstanding.
And then, after this, I waslike OK, this is too big, too
huge.
I want this to be known by asmany people as possible.
You know, as, when you discoverthat topic and you see the
(10:02):
impact it has in your life and Iguess for you, for creating
this podcast, that's probablyone of the reasons Same, exactly
same, yes.
So I was like, okay, now I needto talk about this.
But because your clients aregoing to ask about the test, the
IQ test, I want to still do itfor myself, because I need to
(10:22):
know what it is, I need to beable to guide people through
that.
So you need to do it for myself, because I need to know what it
is, I need to be able to guidepeople through that.
So you need to do it.
So then I found a professionalwhere I felt that time better
and I did the test.
But for me, I did the testwithout doing the test.
It's because I already had thisvalidation through the training
I had done.
I was like, for me, my bodyanswered already, but I want to,
(10:44):
and I did the test, like tryingto understand how it is the
kind of questions I was kind ofmore observing the test than
really doing it and it was kindof fun and sometimes like I had
a very weird way of how I did it, but whatever.
So I did the test and then I goback to have the results and
the person said well, you know,you have a, a heterogeneous IQ,
(11:05):
so I cannot really give you ananswer.
And oh my god, the like I fall,I think I don't know like like
falling from I don't know 50, 50floor building, like I was.
I I cried so much during thatfeedback session and I think she
(11:27):
was a bit surprised as well bymy reaction and she was like I
just cannot make a statement.
And for me I was like whoa, youknow, having lived with a few
months with the body knowing,and then I was like oh, and the
test is unclear, and that wasreally so emotional.
It took me.
It was a journey then for me tosay okay, come to the place of.
(11:49):
Okay, maybe I'm not gifted, Idon't know like.
I again journeyed a bit bymyself with it, also probably
because of maybe I don't know ifit was the shame or like all
the emotions that came up with.
So you thought you were.
Now the test didn't validate,kind of the official validation,
(12:10):
what, what do I do now withthat?
And I really went on a journeyto OK.
And it's fun because I came tothe point where I was like OK,
maybe you are not, but thistopic is still too important,
you still need to talk about it.
And that's really fun because Iwas like OK, even though you
don't know for yourself like youneed to talk about it.
And then I went back actually tothe person who trained me and
(12:32):
then he told me but do youremember that section of the
training where I tell you and Itell to everyone that when the
results are not homogeneous andthere is heterogeneity, that's
where, depending on theprofessional you have, they will
dare or not to make the move,and that's like the gray zone
(12:55):
where it really depends on theprofessional you have in front
of you.
And it's fun because at thattime he told me it's perfect,
you know, you've made theexperience that some people,
some of your client, will do,and you will be able to hold
this process.
On the emotional side, you willbe able to explain it to them
and like it's great.
(13:15):
And and that was like okay, yes, and at.
From that point I reallystarted also to dig deeper into
like the test, the IQ test howdoes it work, what are the
limits, what can have an impact.
And it's fun because thathappened really many years ago
now.
And, to make it short, then Iwas like, ok, I still want to
(13:36):
talk about that topic.
And I had my own digestion ofeverything that happened and I
had then really focused onsupporting gifted adults and I
had then really focused onsupporting gifted adults and I
guess my journey also went forthwith every client I helped with
, like I had then groups also ofgifted and talented women, and
(14:05):
of course clients brought thesame similar situations,
situations and and also myclients really helped me in that
journey, also for myself, untila point where now today, if I
really I make a big jump towhere I am today, it's, and for
people who might have had orwill have these experiences,
really having that understandingthat the IQ test is one thing
first it wasn't created toidentify giftedness, that being
(14:26):
gifted is hardly summarized bythe IQ test, and that you can
fail into brackets, the IQ test,and still be gifted, and now I
am fully at peace, now it's nota question anymore for me.
But it really was a process andit took time and, as you can
imagine, it was an emotionalroller coaster, but again it's
(14:49):
like when you have thisheterogeneity, it's how the
professional responds to it thatcan have a huge impact.
Nadja (14:56):
Oh, it resonates so much with me, your story, because I
had a similar experience rightwhere I, you know, came across
this topic, learned about it,jumped into podcasting because I
just wanted to get all theknowledge from the experts and
people working in the space, andjust hit record doing this
(15:18):
podcast and then, through theADHD diagnosis, got the
opportunity to do an IQ test.
At that point I was alreadywarned in the community, you
know, be careful.
And I was like, oh, but it'skind of like a self-experiment,
you know, I want to do it, so Ican, so I know what it is and
(15:40):
what it is about and, as yousaid, like a little self-ex,
self experiment.
And I had a very, very similarexperience.
The person had no idea aboutyou know what it means to be
gifted.
She didn't even know the termtwice exceptional, you know.
And so having a spiky profileand yeah, so quote unquote, not
(16:00):
gifted on the IQ score.
And I said, well, if I have, youknow, adhd and executive
functioning issues, wouldn'tthat impair me taking this test?
And yeah, and then there wereother layers.
You know I had eyesight issueat the time I had.
The test is a German test, I'mSwiss, it's a different.
(16:23):
You know vocabulary, everything.
So there are multiple layersand, as you said, like having
this result come back and I'mlike, oh, but can I still do a
podcast about giftedness?
Yeah, so I really understand,but at the time I was already in
(16:44):
contact with Jen fromIntergifted and I reached out
and I did an assessment with her.
So not the quantitative but thequalitative assessment, and
really that was also morehelpful for me to also see the
profile of giftedness, ofgiftedness like it's more than
(17:07):
just a number.
You really understand, you knowwhat it means and how you
experience, interact with theworld.
So it highly resonates withwhat you're saying.
And, you know, when I talked toPaula Prober, she told me that
you know all these levels ofgiftedness you know mildly,
moderately, you know highly, andshe calls herself barely gifted
.
And I was like, oh, I embracethat barely gifted.
(17:29):
So that's when how I then, youknow, got back on my feet and
said, okay, I just call myselfbarely gifted and I can still,
you know, be in this space andnobody except myself ever
questioned it.
You know nobody tells you inthis space and nobody except
myself ever questioned it.
You know, nobody tells you inthis space you're not welcome
here.
Gloria (17:50):
Yeah, and it's so important because you mentioned
so many things and it's like forpeople to check, like, how is
my eyesight, how is my hearing,how is exact like the
conversation effect, or likewith ADHD or other twice
exceptional characteristics andall these things.
I also didn't know at all aboutit like it's really a learning
(18:13):
process, if it's your languageor not, as you said, the
difference between swiss, germanand german, like.
I also have a very differentperspective now because I know I
did the test.
There were questions she askedme I didn't even like, I was
like, oh, I don't know, I like Ireally didn't do it seriously
as well.
So there are many things thatafter I understood and also
(18:35):
maybe it's interesting.
You know, for me my vision alsoof giftedness has expanded and I
, like Marie Rocamara, whotalked also about the spiritual
side and also some others speakabout it, and for me it's so
much more than the IQ and also,of course, having worked now
five years with gifted adults, Isee what really means
(19:00):
intelligence as being not at allabout IQ.
I see like it's sometimes hardto describe, but I see where is
the giftedness in them and it'svery different from person to
person.
So even when you say highlyprofoundly gifted, they
experience different things asgifted.
But for me it's not even more ascale you know, of course, that
(19:23):
that plays also a role but it'smore not thinking vertically
but more horizontally, like whatmakes you be gifted and maybe
you are diving super deep andfast and in spirituality and
having developed very differentlevels of consciousness, having
(19:44):
access to a different reality.
Maybe it's in science, you knowwhat would be more
stereotypically associated withgiftedness, and so it's like
really it's a journey to go andmeet yourself and how it's
expressed for you thank you forsharing that, and that's how you
support your clients, right?
Nadja (20:06):
you take these clients, or your clients, on this journey
of self-discovery.
And also this how to deal withthe intense emotions and how you
know, I think, a lot of giftedpeople.
I think you mentioned thatthey're disconnected or
overwhelmed by their ownemotions.
(20:27):
Do you want to share a littlebit about that?
Gloria (20:30):
yeah, because we're like working and and like building
my experience.
I was like, okay, what'sactually the what are the
biggest challenge for giftedpeople in their relationship
with themselves, and of coursethat has an impact on the
relationship with the world.
And for me, like it's theintensity and complexity of
(20:51):
their mental and emotional life.
And you know, often we say like, oh, I don't know how to put my
brain off, I don't know how tostop thinking.
I feel everything so deeply andit's sometimes overwhelming.
I often like to say it's okayhow you operate, it's not
possible to change that.
(21:11):
You will, like you will alwayshave a probably quicker, more
like the rainforest mind becauseyou already talked about the
polar and that's like, yes, Icannot change you in the sense
of you will feel things moredeeply.
You will have a differentexperience than other people who
don't have this high level ofsensitivity in that experience
(21:34):
of the world.
But you can change, like howyou deal with that and once you
know, you can also validateyourself and adapting more to
your needs.
And on the emotional side, whatI see is usually, you know, two
main behaviors is either Idisconnect because it's just too
(21:54):
much, and I can so understandthat behavior, because if you've
never learned to deal withwhat's happening inside and it's
super intense, let's betterdisconnect because it's like I
cannot, I don't know what to dowith it, it's too much.
So let's just not feel anymoreand just live in my brain and
(22:14):
that's fine.
And if you've never learnedlike it's, it's totally
understandable.
And the other side is I'm, I'mlike almost, it feels like I'm
too connected or it feels likethis overwhelm that can come
through the emotions.
And in both sides it's actuallyyou try to control, which might
(22:34):
sound weird, because of course,when you're disconnected, okay,
I'm controlling, I'm just likeoff, kind of, and but also when
you're overwhelmed, there is atrying to control.
You are not really making spacefor what you're feeling and and
supporting it, like going withyour emotions.
And again I'm saying that ifyou've never learned it, it's
(22:55):
normal that you don't know howto do it Like I've learned it.
I really.
I think that's probably alsoone of the biggest work on
myself I've done and still spendtime daily or weekly on how am
I feeling, what's exactlyhappening, what's the trigger?
And making space and now reallyaddressing what's happening,
because emotions, like we, arehuman beings so that's part of
(23:18):
everyday life and I will alwaysfeel things more deeply
intensely, you know, just, maybesometimes listening, you could
listen to this podcast or listento read a book and start crying
and see a movie, and it's like,okay, one side is like the all
the we would say positive or atleast enjoyable emotions, and
(23:40):
then it's like, okay, how do youdeal with and I like to not
frame them as negative, becauseit's like every emotion informs
you, gives you a message.
It's like how do I deal withthe part that none of us really
want to feel, like we don't liketo suffer, like who wants to?
Oh, I would love to be sad, Iwould love to be angry.
Well, I understand, no, but ifthis emotion is coming up, it's
(24:01):
there to really give you amessage.
And that's where I focus a lotis because it's such a big
challenge.
You know, being gifted, yourbrain is so present and you love
also to think that there isalso that part.
You know you love to think, tolearn, to hear, to be challenged
, to imagine.
And at the same time, it's likecan you also move in your life
(24:26):
with your body?
Like, what is your body tellingyou about the situation and the
emotion for me is one of theideal way also to connect to the
body.
And maybe it starts just withsensation, because especially
when we haven't worked onemotion, it's hard to sometimes
just you can say I feel bad, Ifeel good, but you might not
have the vocabulary yet.
(24:46):
You can start also just withyour sensation, like, well, I
feel, like I don't know, I feeloppression in my chest or I have
belly pain or what's what'shappening.
So really reconnecting giftedpeople with their body, because
that's where I would say you can, like, really go in all your,
(25:06):
your power and your potential,when you have this connection
between your mind and your body.
Again, it's normal if, liketoday, you might not have it,
but, if I can invite people todig deeper, there is a lot of
treasures there, also to knowmore about yourself.
Nadja (25:24):
Oh, thank you for sharing this and also, you know, to
again amplify this message ofyou know, a lot of gifted people
are stuck in their heads, butwe need to get down, get down
into the body and feel the bodyand feel the emotions.
And I think, because we'recognitively fast, usually we try
(25:48):
to think our way throughproblems or think our way out of
emotions or, you know alsosometimes 100%, or you go to
therapy and you're like, oh, Iunderstand where the problem
lies, but you haven't reallyintegrated it right.
It really needs this processthrough the body yes, and here
(26:12):
you are phrasing.
Gloria (26:13):
A solution that I also love always to really emphasize
is when you feel stuck in yourself-actualization journey and
you say exactly what Nadia saidlike't see healing and
transformation, realtransformation if you don't
connect to your body.
So if you want to integratewhat you now know or understood,
(26:46):
you need to work on a bodylevel.
And that's at least my way.
It's like connecting to whatreally it feels like.
My way it's like connecting towhat really it feels like and
also because you know, thegifted journey might bring up
many things.
Of all, when I was a teenager,when I was a kid, that's what
happened I felt shame, I feltguilty, I felt too much, and all
these things you can processthem intellectually.
(27:08):
I'm just trying to make it moreconcrete with an example and
understand and what it wouldmean to process it with the body
is.
Well, how did I feel at thattime?
Maybe you are going to need tocry.
Maybe you need to transformthat emotional state through
your creativity.
(27:28):
Maybe you're going to sing asong, do a painting, go in
nature, have a walk and justreconnect to that child you were
or to that experience.
That's what I mean at least tojust give some concrete examples
with, like connecting to thefeeling attached to the
experience.
Nadja (27:47):
And where is then the line that what you do as a coach
and therapy?
Because I think now you reallybrushed.
There is a line, right?
Gloria (27:59):
Yes, that's a very good question and I will be clear.
So I'm trained as a coach, I'mnot a therapist.
But I've done so many othertraining like beyond coaching,
to really learn about emotionsand support people with emotions
.
And it's true that theclassical coaching training
usually doesn't involve all theemotional work.
(28:20):
It's more like mindset work,belief work, so more working on
with the mind.
But I at some point saw that itand also I was interested in
more.
I saw that it's especially forgifted people, as we described
just before.
It's that you can understandbut the change doesn't happen.
And also seeing that in myjourney my emotions were a big
(28:41):
part of them.
So that's why I bring also thetopic of emotions and I don't
work as a therapist on emotionIf I make it very simple and
basic.
I say to people we don't need todig into the past, analyze
maybe as you would do it intherapy, and maybe that's what
(29:02):
you need Like, really you needto know, but the emotional work
I do is really just releasingthe emotion.
We don't need to go and tellthe story again, understand
everything.
You might not even know exactlywhat happened.
We just need to connect to what.
How does my body feel what'sthe emotion and how can I
release it.
And there I'm not doing coachinganymore.
(29:24):
I can do well, you could haveit also with some coaching but
like, really energy work.
I do it through art.
There you could say art therapyas well.
Yes, even though it's not as atherapist, I help people release
emotions and emotional statesthat are stuck through art.
I do it, which is energy work,and I also do it, like,
(29:46):
sometimes during the session,guiding people in their body and
whether it's throughvisualization or speaking to the
parts of themselves that arecoming up with the situation,
which again like, yes, I see,and for people who have
experienced their connectionwith therapy.
So I don't have a straight linebetween coaching and therapy,
(30:07):
just because I've learneddifferent tools and approaches
and I just use what the clientneeds.
Nadja (30:12):
But obviously, if you see that a person needs classical
you know more profound giftedtherapy, you would probably
refer them right.
Gloria (30:22):
A hundred percent and I always say, okay, that's that's.
I'm very clear with and honestwith people.
I'm like the situation you arebringing, I know we can work on
it.
Through what I can bring you,that would be more with a
therapist or if it's a heavytrauma, for example, and they
need to talk about it, gothrough it.
(30:44):
But really, like I see itworking very smoothly with my
clients, I just share them, theyunderstand and then we already,
through all the tools I bring.
The work I do is deep.
I remember also doing, uh likea master class and someone said,
well, it's not just superficialwork I do, I go deep.
(31:04):
That's why also sometimes youcould reconnect also to to
therapy.
I would say I, I don't reallycare about.
Is it coaching, is it therapy Ijust care about is it effective
and is it helping people?
And do I feel comfortable, ofcourse, myself to guide people
through it?
If not, then I'm going to sendthem somewhere else where it's
(31:25):
more appropriate and you justshared as well.
Nadja (31:29):
Like it is hard work, right, it is deep, it simple,
but it's not easy, right, it'sthis again, you need to go
through it, just cognitivelyunderstanding the concept of
like, oh yeah, okay, I'm goingto release, you know my emotions
and the energy, but it's work,yeah, yeah.
Gloria (31:54):
It is real work, deep work, deep work.
Like it's challenging, I don'tknow if I would.
I try at least to to make it asstill enjoyable.
It might sound weird but bringeither lightness, joy or for me
and that's where I why also Iwork around emotions, even
difficult emotions, you can facethem with a smile, with
(32:19):
compassion.
We don't have to be insomething very difficult, hard.
We can, in the approach and howwe work on it, have this
lighter, hopeful touch in movingthrough it.
Because, again, like what wewould see like as very negative
(32:40):
state, for me they are notnegative.
They are just a process ofdoing the work so that, like
going through the shadow, sothat you get to the gift and
what is really there for you.
Nadja (32:52):
And to empower them to live to their fullest self and
the self-knowledge of like yourpath is not the correct one.
You should be doing this, andwhy don't you?
(33:22):
Why won't you?
Right and just understandingthat your path is actually the
right one, that you're on?
Gloria (33:32):
Yeah, 100%.
I just wanted to ask you.
Nadja (33:33):
Yeah, 100%.
I just wanted to ask you.
So you said in the beginningthat when you learned about your
giftedness that you wanted toshare this with the world and
you shared your story ofembracing coaching and straight
jumped into gifted coaching.
But you're also doing otherthings, right.
(33:56):
Would you like to share whatelse you do and how you spread
the word of giftedness?
Gloria (34:02):
So I like one resource and really like one, like we
give, as you are doing, you knowfree resources so that people
can already move.
I think there is already a loton our free side and then, of
course, if you wanttransformation in your life,
like, you will need to investand get professional support,
but already on the free side.
Because, as you've heard myjourney, I felt quite alone and
(34:24):
with many questions and notwilling to be kind of and that
was my perspective but arrogantas seeing myself as gifted.
I created a blog.
It's very simple.
It's like you go my name,gloria Jensen, and then to the
blog section and here you havestories of gifted adults.
I was like I want to heargifted adult stories, a bit like
(34:46):
what you asked me and whatyou're doing at the beginning of
the podcast, and I really likesuper specific questions about
how do they live it personally,professionally, how was their
experience of the test, whatdoes gifted mean for them, and
digging into their personalstories, because that's what
(35:06):
people can relate to and canlike feel an echo to who they
are.
And I felt it's for many peoplewho are wondering if they're
gifted or not, for many peoplewho are wondering if they are
gifted or not.
It's a gentle way to enter inthe topic and kind of move with
the topic step by step and seethat there is a variety, because
that was important for me.
(35:27):
I didn't know at that time whenI started my journey, like you
can be gifted in so manydifferent ways and you have,
like I, interviewed giftedprofessionals but also gifted
people whom it's not their, liketheir work topic.
They just have their ownjourney with their giftedness,
so that people don't associate,oh, you need to be professional
to be happy and fulfilled andand that's like how, like I've
(35:50):
been doing for many years to toshare their stories.
And even people who are andknow they are gifted.
It helps them because they say,of course you have an echo to
how you are and it's alwaysuseful to either hear or read
people sharing your innerexperience.
It helps you validate it.
That's the wonderful part and Iguess for many listeners of
(36:10):
your podcast, that's what theyare experiencing.
You know the validation thatcomes from.
Oh, I'm not the only onefeeling that.
Nadja (36:18):
Yeah, exactly that was.
The reason for this podcast wasjust, you know, to explore why
people go into the giftedprofessional side.
But usually if you work in theprofessional field, most
probably you have a gifted storyand yeah.
Gloria (36:37):
That's also like to make a side note.
If people are still wonderingand that was also my conclusion
is, if you are so interested ingiftedness, you dig deeper, even
though you go away from thetopic, but you go back to it,
you go to conferences, you readabout it like at some point,
when someone is and even foryour professional journey, I'm
going to say the same when youare super interested by a topic
(36:59):
and you want to know more andmore and more, there is
something there for you.
It's impossible, like if youjust heard once about giftedness
, read I don't know an articleand you're like, oh yes, I am
gifted, and then you forgetabout the topic.
Well, I don't know if it'sreally relevant for you, but if
you are here listening to onepodcast after the other, reading
(37:20):
one book after the other, likeit's not a coincidence, and I
would like to say also thatthere's no gate.
Nadja (37:30):
You don't need to show the IQ test score at the
entrance to this podcast to thecommunities, the IQ test score
at the entrance to this podcastto the communities.
You know you can really enterfreely and you are embraced in
this space and that I felt.
You know me entering.
Everybody was very generouswith their resources, with
knowledge.
(37:50):
I felt really embraced and ifyou go into a space where you
don't feel embraced, then it'sthe space, it's not you, and if
you go into a space where youdon't feel embraced, then it's
the space.
Gloria (37:57):
It's not you, yeah, and it's so important that you
emphasize that.
I think it's a permission, likeauthorization for many.
Nadja (38:07):
Yeah, so, and you're embracing, embarking into a new
journey and I think you wouldlike to ask people to come and
join you.
So please share your newendeavor.
And where can people contactyou and for what are they
signing up?
Gloria (38:24):
So first, just my website, gloriajensencom, is
like a perfect way to contact me, but then also I know you are
going to put the links to all mysocial media and so on.
So I'm creating a podcast thatis called the Inner Space,
because that's for me, wherealso I help mostly people is in
their inner space, what'shappening inside of them,
(38:44):
emotionally, mentally, so thatthen, once we've done the work,
they can go into the world andput the actions in place that
are supported by their innerworld.
And I'm creating a podcastwhere, of course, I will share
my own experiences, my ownstories, but also have guests
and not professional guests, butyou can be a guest, which means
(39:06):
you can receive a free coachingthat is recorded so that you
have first, like, solutions toyour problems and also help
others moving through theirjourney.
And, like, there are three mainpillars First, I would say if
the interview resonated with you, then I might be the right
person for you, because I reallydo not believe, like every
coach is for everyone.
(39:27):
Like you need to have aresonance with the person's
words or perspective.
So if you have that, then thereis a higher possibility that
the person will have an impactand really help you in your
transformation.
So I would say, if peopleresonate with what I've shared
and they want to benefit from asession, it can be anonymous.
(39:47):
So there is like that they candecide and it's really just
audio and it's like there arethree main pillars.
I help really people aroundself-knowledge, as you said.
That's the fundament, soknowing themselves better.
For that I also use humandesign.
I don't know if you've everheard about it, nadia, never.
It's amazing.
I love this.
(40:08):
Human design is helping you getyour user's manual, like
understanding how your energyworks, how your intuition works,
like how do you take decisions.
It's an amazing tool.
I've made so many, I've used somany tools, like the MBTI
process, communication, theEnneagram, like there are so
many things, and for me, that'sthe tool where I'm like whoa,
(40:31):
that's very relevant because,again, I've trained myself into
it.
I'm using it for with myclients for more than two years
now and I see how helpful it isfor them.
So I use whether it's like myknowledge about high sensitivity
, about giftedness, about humandesign I use it so that people
can understand a bit more howthey operate, know more about
(40:52):
themselves, because I always say, like from self-knowledge
emerges direction, and directionis the third pillar, which is
creating, like orientingyourself, guiding yourself in
your life.
Of course, professionally is abig part, because work is a big
part of our life.
So creating a professionalproject, whether it's your
career or your business, that isaligned with who you are.
(41:15):
So then I go back to the firstpillar, which is about
self-knowledge, and the second,second pillar, in in the middle,
is really about thatself-mastery work around your
emotions and the mental part.
So basically it's like knowyourself, do the inner work,
because of course you can know,okay, that's the path.
(41:35):
But then you start thinking am Igood enough to do it, or will I
succeed, or will people want toembark on that journey with me?
And then it's like so that'swhy you can have I don't know
holes, a big cascade fire,whatever going on on your path.
So it's like, let's address theemotional and mental side of of
taking your path.
And also as a gifted person,you know, depending on the
(41:57):
experience you've had, if yourealize, okay, I'm gifted and
I'm like, oh, now I realize allmy gifts and I don't know a
certain area of my life I wantit to be my professional path.
And then all these maybe alsotraumatic, or stories that I've
experienced come up and and thenI'm like, oh, who am I to to do
that?
I'm like that needs to beaddressed so that you really
(42:19):
embark on a journey that isaligned with who you are.
So if people feel that's a likea, an approach, a methodology
that speaks to them, thenthey're super welcome.
We'll have the link, so theyjust have to complete a form.
I ask a few questions toprepare the session and then
they hop on and we do therecording and then they help
themselves and others throughthat session.
Nadja (42:41):
So it's a win, win, win, yes, amazing.
And that link they can go toyour Gloria Jensen coaching.
Or can you say the link again?
Gloria (42:51):
The best way I would say is I've sent you the link so
you can put it so they accessdirectly the form.
I have it also as my link inbio in my Instagram account.
Way I would say is I've sentyou the link so you can put it
so they access directly the form.
I have it also as my link inbio in my Instagram account, so
like okay, probably the best isin the show notes, so they have
direct access to it and I don'tget lost anywhere.
Nadja (43:08):
Exactly, we will put all the links in the show notes,
also to your coaching services,obviously, and your website, and
so can can navigate and findeverything.
Is there anything else that youwould like to share?
Something you wish people knew,something you wish you knew
earlier in your journey?
Gloria (43:27):
I believe for me it's really giving them the hope, the
I was going to say motivation,but it's not even the right word
the like, the longing they haveinside to really create a life
that is fulfilling and wherethey're like whoa, I'm happy
every day to wake up.
It's so worth it like.
(43:47):
I know it's not easy.
Depending on our story and oureducation, we might have to face
bigger or smaller obstacles,but it's like your life is so
much worth and that was mylearning from my journey is like
don't waste it.
Being someone else doingsomething that is not you.
Like really your heart.
(44:09):
You will feel so much peace andserenity in your heart and your
soul if you are on the paththat is you.
And there you will find so muchstrength as well, because you
are connected to that deepermission and purpose in you and
like, okay, I'm going to face myfears because that's so
important, that's what I'm goingto contribute to the world.
So please, if you are notalready on that journey, embark.
(44:30):
And if you are on that like,keep doing the work.
Like your happiness and yourcontribution is so worth and so
much worth for you and forothers.
Nadja (44:41):
We need you.
Yes, we need you all.
Thank you so much, and thankyou so much for being here,
gloria and I'm so excited to beable to share this recording
with the world.
So thank you, thank you forbeing here you know, recording
with with the world.
Gloria (44:58):
So thank you, thank you for being here.
Thank you so much, nadia, hugegratitude for making that space
for me and really congrats alsofor your podcast, because I know
many people benefit from itthank you, bye, bye, bye.
Nadja (45:10):
I hope you enjoyed this episode and you learned
something new, and, if you didlike, subscribe and leave a
review.
And if you feel like somebodyelse that you know could profit
from this, please send them alink to this show.
And if you want to learn more,you find everything at
giftedunleashedcom and you canalso subscribe to the newsletter
(45:32):
there, so you will always be upto date for new things that are
coming, and all the informationthat we mentioned today in the
episode will be on the shownotes for the episode.
So everything is right therefor you and, with that said, I
wish you a wonderful day and Isee you next time.
Bye.
Hello and welcome to Gifted Unleashed, where we talk
about the gifted and twiceexceptional brain and how it
affects our thinking andexperience of the world
differently.
There are a lot of stereotypesand stigma around the term
giftedness, and I'm here tochallenge those.
I'm here to raise awareness andto have a conversation around
the topic of what it means to bea gifted and twice exceptional
adult.
Common experience among giftedfolks is that they feel out of
(00:24):
place.
They don't quite fit in.
They're too sensitive, toointense, too emotional, too
overexcitable and too deepthinkers of the world and about
themselves.
So if you have been called toomuch of about anything, this
show is for you.
I'm Nadia.
I'm too loud, too colorful, toobubbly, too bossy and I love to
talk too much.
So welcome to my world.
I'm so happy you're here.
Too bossy, and I love to talktoo much.
(00:47):
So welcome to my world.
I'm so happy you're here.
Hello, today we have GloriaJensen on the podcast.
Gloria and I we met at the SENDconference in 2023 and we just
hit it off, and I had to get heron the podcast because Gloria
is a coach and an energy healerspecializing in supporting
highly sensitive and giftedadults.
She is the founder of GiftedInterview published on her blog
(01:08):
to demystify and inspire, andthrive at being gifted.
Her approach is multicultural,at the crossroads of several
European countries and now alsothe United States, she helps
neurodivergent people deal withtheir intense minds and emotions
, develop deep self-knowledge oftheir user's manual to create a
(01:28):
fulfilling and serene life.
So, without further ado, hereis Gloria.
Welcome, gloria, I'm so excitedto have you on the podcast
today.
Thank you so much.
Nadia, me too.
Yeah, it was so amazing to getto know you and meet you at SANG
(01:58):
.
Nadia, me too, and I'm soexcited to have you here today
and share your story.
Gloria (02:10):
Yes, it was such a beautiful encounter for me too,
because it was my first Seng andsharing that with you and like
such a beautiful two, three days, I can't remember yeah it was
short but really really great.
Nadja (02:17):
Yeah, it was also my first Seng conference and it was
really really great to meet you, but also everybody else at
Seng.
So let's start with you.
I mean the topic of giftedness,and maybe people can already
hear a little bit.
You are European.
How did you learn about yourgiftedness?
Gloria (02:40):
So later in life, because I didn't grow up like I
guess, from people who grew upin America.
It's a bit more common to dotesting at an early age.
So what I've heard fromAmericans it's usually they know
they're gifted, even thoughthey might not know what it
means exactly.
I grew up in France where atleast maybe where I grew up and
(03:04):
it wasn't such a topic, so Ididn't hear about it and it was
more, like I can remember, as ateenager you would have the
stereotypes of gifted is a mathgenius like the classical,
someone who is super smart,maybe not super social, and like
something that doesn't live inmy reality and it's really later
(03:27):
in life.
I can't even remember.
I was already working aftermaybe 26, 27 or even a bit later
.
I heard about it actuallythrough a friend of my mother
whose son was identified asbeing gifted and as she told her
a bit the journey with her sonand it's a very good friend for
(03:48):
my mom and as she heard herspeaking about a few things, she
was like maybe I want to tellto Gloria about it and I was at
that time living in England andwe met.
She gave me a book, a Frenchbook, which is really like a
classic in this topic, and I waslike OK, but she told me more
(04:08):
about the sensitive part, likethe emotional part, where she
could recognize me and thechallenges I had as a child and
teenager and even after as anadult.
And as she gave me that book, Iwas like OK, and I started
reading the book and I had sucha weird or special relationship
to the book because on one sideI was like wow, this is speaking
(04:29):
to me so much.
You know, like typically allthe testimonials and you feel
understood and you're like, wow,it's a relief, almost against
my mom because like why did yougive me this thing?
Like I'm not gifted, like allthe smart part that you imagine
(04:49):
of being gifted.
I felt very alone actually withthe topic because at that time I
didn't do the job I am nowdoing as a coach.
I wasn't so connected online soI was really not aware of all
the resources that we have now.
Today we have much more online.
You just type around giftednessand you will find so many
resources.
So that was really the.
(05:10):
I felt very alone and I feltlike I cannot be arrogant and
pretend to be gifted.
Yes, I can recognize theemotional side and some of the
challenges, but the smart side,the intelligence, was like I'm
not, I'm not special, and that'swhy I was almost reading a bit
the book and then I was puttingit by side and then I read again
(05:32):
, like read this back and forth.
And then I until I thought, okay, let's, let's find
professionals to speak to andnot just stay with a book by
myself.
And you know I wouldn't speakto anyone about it because
really it's a quiteuncomfortable topic when you
just heard about it and you haveall the cliches and stereotypes
(05:52):
and I believe for also part Iwas going to say for many I
can't say that, but it's like,oh, I can recognize myself some
of the traits, but am I thatsmart, or that's the, at least
the representation we have?
And for many it's really like abreak.
You know, on your own journeyyou are like, well, no, you go
(06:16):
back and forth.
And then I was like, okay,let's meet a professional who
does the test.
And at that time I didn't knowthat one thing is to be able to
do the test and one thing is tobe a professional who really
knows about giftedness.
And the first encounter I hadwas not super good.
I didn't feel comfortable withthe person.
Yeah, just what I brought, andalso because at that time I had
(06:40):
done so much self-developmentwork that I didn't bring some of
the challenges that manyprofessionals who might just be,
like, I would say,superficially trained on the
topic would identify.
Ok, you are only gifted.
You know, before they decide todo the test with you, they do a
pre-assessment and it's kind ofdidn't fall in the I would say,
(07:00):
the more negative side that isassociated with giftedness,
because I had done a lot of workon myself, I had changed
profession, I had done a lot ofemotional work.
So I felt like kind of the morenegative side, I was dealing
better with it.
So the person was kind of a bityeah, she was like, well, maybe
it's better to just work on thethemes that come with
(07:22):
giftedness, maybe let's see forthe test.
And just like I didn't feelunderstood at all, I was like,
okay, I'm not going to do thatwith this person.
And I kept on searching and thenI found someone who also and
that was the difference whoreally knows about giftedness.
He's training professionalsabout this topic.
(07:42):
He's doing conferences in manydifferent countries.
He was not just actually that'snot even his job, doing tests.
He was really informing peopleabout what it means to be gifted
and I had a quick chat with himand I jumped, which is a bit
crazy.
I decided to train myself intoreally the topic of supporting
gifted adults.
So at that time I was trained asa coach and I was like, ok, if
(08:07):
I'm not gifted, great, I willhave another specialty,
something where I can help otherpeople, and if I am, then it's
the best way to enter in thetopic.
So it might sound weird forsome people.
I really jumped like in the bigocean, I would say, and not
just tiptoe and see if I want togo in.
But I guess it was just thesense.
The intuition of this personknows what he's talking about
(08:29):
and I really want to have theopportunity to dive deep,
understand, ask all thequestions I have, benefit from
real professional, great support.
And this training was overthree days and, oh my God, that
was whoa.
So so many things came upduring these three days because
(08:52):
of course it was to supportother gifted adults.
But first, when you receiveinformation, you receive it also
for yourself and also, I think,as a professional whether you
are a coach, a psychologist, youalways need to do the work for
yourself to then be also able tosupport other people.
So I embarked on the journey.
Really it was super emotional.
(09:15):
I remember crying in theevening about everything that
came up.
It was a playground, abeautiful playground, with all
the people who were attending.
Also, the training were gifted,so someone had already done the
test.
I really could go in with allmy questions and that was, I
think, the starting point for meto like OK.
My body reacted and said to meyou are gifted.
(09:39):
Like I could, I could start tointegrate in myself what it
means, because it was really notthe stereotypes anymore.
It was like having a deepunderstanding.
And then, after this, I waslike OK, this is too big, too
huge.
I want this to be known by asmany people as possible.
You know, as, when you discoverthat topic and you see the
(10:02):
impact it has in your life and Iguess for you, for creating
this podcast, that's probablyone of the reasons Same, exactly
same, yes.
So I was like, okay, now I needto talk about this.
But because your clients aregoing to ask about the test, the
IQ test, I want to still do itfor myself, because I need to
(10:22):
know what it is, I need to beable to guide people through
that.
So you need to do it for myself, because I need to know what it
is, I need to be able to guidepeople through that.
So you need to do it.
So then I found a professionalwhere I felt that time better
and I did the test.
But for me, I did the testwithout doing the test.
It's because I already had thisvalidation through the training
I had done.
I was like, for me, my bodyanswered already, but I want to,
(10:44):
and I did the test, like tryingto understand how it is the
kind of questions I was kind ofmore observing the test than
really doing it and it was kindof fun and sometimes like I had
a very weird way of how I did it, but whatever.
So I did the test and then I goback to have the results and
the person said well, you know,you have a, a heterogeneous IQ,
(11:05):
so I cannot really give you ananswer.
And oh my god, the like I fall,I think I don't know like like
falling from I don't know 50, 50floor building, like I was.
I I cried so much during thatfeedback session and I think she
(11:27):
was a bit surprised as well bymy reaction and she was like I
just cannot make a statement.
And for me I was like whoa, youknow, having lived with a few
months with the body knowing,and then I was like oh, and the
test is unclear, and that wasreally so emotional.
It took me.
It was a journey then for me tosay okay, come to the place of.
(11:49):
Okay, maybe I'm not gifted, Idon't know like.
I again journeyed a bit bymyself with it, also probably
because of maybe I don't know ifit was the shame or like all
the emotions that came up with.
So you thought you were.
Now the test didn't validate,kind of the official validation,
(12:10):
what, what do I do now withthat?
And I really went on a journeyto OK.
And it's fun because I came tothe point where I was like OK,
maybe you are not, but thistopic is still too important,
you still need to talk about it.
And that's really fun because Iwas like OK, even though you
don't know for yourself like youneed to talk about it.
And then I went back actually tothe person who trained me and
(12:32):
then he told me but do youremember that section of the
training where I tell you and Itell to everyone that when the
results are not homogeneous andthere is heterogeneity, that's
where, depending on theprofessional you have, they will
dare or not to make the move,and that's like the gray zone
(12:55):
where it really depends on theprofessional you have in front
of you.
And it's fun because at thattime he told me it's perfect,
you know, you've made theexperience that some people,
some of your client, will do,and you will be able to hold
this process.
On the emotional side, you willbe able to explain it to them
and like it's great.
(13:15):
And and that was like okay, yes, and at.
From that point I reallystarted also to dig deeper into
like the test, the IQ test howdoes it work, what are the
limits, what can have an impact.
And it's fun because thathappened really many years ago
now.
And, to make it short, then Iwas like, ok, I still want to
(13:36):
talk about that topic.
And I had my own digestion ofeverything that happened and I
had then really focused onsupporting gifted adults and I
had then really focused onsupporting gifted adults and I
guess my journey also went forthwith every client I helped with
, like I had then groups also ofgifted and talented women, and
(14:05):
of course clients brought thesame similar situations,
situations and and also myclients really helped me in that
journey, also for myself, untila point where now today, if I
really I make a big jump towhere I am today, it's, and for
people who might have had orwill have these experiences,
really having that understandingthat the IQ test is one thing
first it wasn't created toidentify giftedness, that being
(14:26):
gifted is hardly summarized bythe IQ test, and that you can
fail into brackets, the IQ test,and still be gifted, and now I
am fully at peace, now it's nota question anymore for me.
But it really was a process andit took time and, as you can
imagine, it was an emotionalroller coaster, but again it's
(14:49):
like when you have thisheterogeneity, it's how the
professional responds to it thatcan have a huge impact.
Nadja (14:56):
Oh, it resonates so much with me, your story, because I
had a similar experience rightwhere I, you know, came across
this topic, learned about it,jumped into podcasting because I
just wanted to get all theknowledge from the experts and
people working in the space, andjust hit record doing this
(15:18):
podcast and then, through theADHD diagnosis, got the
opportunity to do an IQ test.
At that point I was alreadywarned in the community, you
know, be careful.
And I was like, oh, but it'skind of like a self-experiment,
you know, I want to do it, so Ican, so I know what it is and
(15:40):
what it is about and, as yousaid, like a little self-ex,
self experiment.
And I had a very, very similarexperience.
The person had no idea aboutyou know what it means to be
gifted.
She didn't even know the termtwice exceptional, you know.
And so having a spiky profileand yeah, so quote unquote, not
(16:00):
gifted on the IQ score.
And I said, well, if I have, youknow, adhd and executive
functioning issues, wouldn'tthat impair me taking this test?
And yeah, and then there wereother layers.
You know I had eyesight issueat the time I had.
The test is a German test, I'mSwiss, it's a different.
(16:23):
You know vocabulary, everything.
So there are multiple layersand, as you said, like having
this result come back and I'mlike, oh, but can I still do a
podcast about giftedness?
Yeah, so I really understand,but at the time I was already in
(16:44):
contact with Jen fromIntergifted and I reached out
and I did an assessment with her.
So not the quantitative but thequalitative assessment, and
really that was also morehelpful for me to also see the
profile of giftedness, ofgiftedness like it's more than
(17:07):
just a number.
You really understand, you knowwhat it means and how you
experience, interact with theworld.
So it highly resonates withwhat you're saying.
And, you know, when I talked toPaula Prober, she told me that
you know all these levels ofgiftedness you know mildly,
moderately, you know highly, andshe calls herself barely gifted
.
And I was like, oh, I embracethat barely gifted.
(17:29):
So that's when how I then, youknow, got back on my feet and
said, okay, I just call myselfbarely gifted and I can still,
you know, be in this space andnobody except myself ever
questioned it.
You know nobody tells you inthis space and nobody except
myself ever questioned it.
You know, nobody tells you inthis space you're not welcome
here.
Gloria (17:50):
Yeah, and it's so important because you mentioned
so many things and it's like forpeople to check, like, how is
my eyesight, how is my hearing,how is exact like the
conversation effect, or likewith ADHD or other twice
exceptional characteristics andall these things.
I also didn't know at all aboutit like it's really a learning
(18:13):
process, if it's your languageor not, as you said, the
difference between swiss, germanand german, like.
I also have a very differentperspective now because I know I
did the test.
There were questions she askedme I didn't even like, I was
like, oh, I don't know, I like Ireally didn't do it seriously
as well.
So there are many things thatafter I understood and also
(18:35):
maybe it's interesting.
You know, for me my vision alsoof giftedness has expanded and I
, like Marie Rocamara, whotalked also about the spiritual
side and also some others speakabout it, and for me it's so
much more than the IQ and also,of course, having worked now
five years with gifted adults, Isee what really means
(19:00):
intelligence as being not at allabout IQ.
I see like it's sometimes hardto describe, but I see where is
the giftedness in them and it'svery different from person to
person.
So even when you say highlyprofoundly gifted, they
experience different things asgifted.
But for me it's not even more ascale you know, of course, that
(19:23):
that plays also a role but it'smore not thinking vertically
but more horizontally, like whatmakes you be gifted and maybe
you are diving super deep andfast and in spirituality and
having developed very differentlevels of consciousness, having
(19:44):
access to a different reality.
Maybe it's in science, you knowwhat would be more
stereotypically associated withgiftedness, and so it's like
really it's a journey to go andmeet yourself and how it's
expressed for you thank you forsharing that, and that's how you
support your clients, right?
Nadja (20:06):
you take these clients, or your clients, on this journey
of self-discovery.
And also this how to deal withthe intense emotions and how you
know, I think, a lot of giftedpeople.
I think you mentioned thatthey're disconnected or
overwhelmed by their ownemotions.
(20:27):
Do you want to share a littlebit about that?
Gloria (20:30):
yeah, because we're like working and and like building
my experience.
I was like, okay, what'sactually the what are the
biggest challenge for giftedpeople in their relationship
with themselves, and of coursethat has an impact on the
relationship with the world.
And for me, like it's theintensity and complexity of
(20:51):
their mental and emotional life.
And you know, often we say like, oh, I don't know how to put my
brain off, I don't know how tostop thinking.
I feel everything so deeply andit's sometimes overwhelming.
I often like to say it's okayhow you operate, it's not
possible to change that.
(21:11):
You will, like you will alwayshave a probably quicker, more
like the rainforest mind becauseyou already talked about the
polar and that's like, yes, Icannot change you in the sense
of you will feel things moredeeply.
You will have a differentexperience than other people who
don't have this high level ofsensitivity in that experience
(21:34):
of the world.
But you can change, like howyou deal with that and once you
know, you can also validateyourself and adapting more to
your needs.
And on the emotional side, whatI see is usually, you know, two
main behaviors is either Idisconnect because it's just too
(21:54):
much, and I can so understandthat behavior, because if you've
never learned to deal withwhat's happening inside and it's
super intense, let's betterdisconnect because it's like I
cannot, I don't know what to dowith it, it's too much.
So let's just not feel anymoreand just live in my brain and
(22:14):
that's fine.
And if you've never learnedlike it's, it's totally
understandable.
And the other side is I'm, I'mlike almost, it feels like I'm
too connected or it feels likethis overwhelm that can come
through the emotions.
And in both sides it's actuallyyou try to control, which might
(22:34):
sound weird, because of course,when you're disconnected, okay,
I'm controlling, I'm just likeoff, kind of, and but also when
you're overwhelmed, there is atrying to control.
You are not really making spacefor what you're feeling and and
supporting it, like going withyour emotions.
And again I'm saying that ifyou've never learned it, it's
(22:55):
normal that you don't know howto do it Like I've learned it.
I really.
I think that's probably alsoone of the biggest work on
myself I've done and still spendtime daily or weekly on how am
I feeling, what's exactlyhappening, what's the trigger?
And making space and now reallyaddressing what's happening,
because emotions, like we, arehuman beings so that's part of
(23:18):
everyday life and I will alwaysfeel things more deeply
intensely, you know, just, maybesometimes listening, you could
listen to this podcast or listento read a book and start crying
and see a movie, and it's like,okay, one side is like the all
the we would say positive or atleast enjoyable emotions, and
(23:40):
then it's like, okay, how do youdeal with and I like to not
frame them as negative, becauseit's like every emotion informs
you, gives you a message.
It's like how do I deal withthe part that none of us really
want to feel, like we don't liketo suffer, like who wants to?
Oh, I would love to be sad, Iwould love to be angry.
Well, I understand, no, but ifthis emotion is coming up, it's
(24:01):
there to really give you amessage.
And that's where I focus a lotis because it's such a big
challenge.
You know, being gifted, yourbrain is so present and you love
also to think that there isalso that part.
You know you love to think, tolearn, to hear, to be challenged
, to imagine.
And at the same time, it's likecan you also move in your life
(24:26):
with your body?
Like, what is your body tellingyou about the situation and the
emotion for me is one of theideal way also to connect to the
body.
And maybe it starts just withsensation, because especially
when we haven't worked onemotion, it's hard to sometimes
just you can say I feel bad, Ifeel good, but you might not
have the vocabulary yet.
(24:46):
You can start also just withyour sensation, like, well, I
feel, like I don't know, I feeloppression in my chest or I have
belly pain or what's what'shappening.
So really reconnecting giftedpeople with their body, because
that's where I would say you can, like, really go in all your,
(25:06):
your power and your potential,when you have this connection
between your mind and your body.
Again, it's normal if, liketoday, you might not have it,
but, if I can invite people todig deeper, there is a lot of
treasures there, also to knowmore about yourself.
Nadja (25:24):
Oh, thank you for sharing this and also, you know, to
again amplify this message ofyou know, a lot of gifted people
are stuck in their heads, butwe need to get down, get down
into the body and feel the bodyand feel the emotions.
And I think, because we'recognitively fast, usually we try
(25:48):
to think our way throughproblems or think our way out of
emotions or, you know alsosometimes 100%, or you go to
therapy and you're like, oh, Iunderstand where the problem
lies, but you haven't reallyintegrated it right.
It really needs this processthrough the body yes, and here
(26:12):
you are phrasing.
Gloria (26:13):
A solution that I also love always to really emphasize
is when you feel stuck in yourself-actualization journey and
you say exactly what Nadia saidlike't see healing and
transformation, realtransformation if you don't
connect to your body.
So if you want to integratewhat you now know or understood,
(26:46):
you need to work on a bodylevel.
And that's at least my way.
It's like connecting to whatreally it feels like.
My way it's like connecting towhat really it feels like and
also because you know, thegifted journey might bring up
many things.
Of all, when I was a teenager,when I was a kid, that's what
happened I felt shame, I feltguilty, I felt too much, and all
these things you can processthem intellectually.
(27:08):
I'm just trying to make it moreconcrete with an example and
understand and what it wouldmean to process it with the body
is.
Well, how did I feel at thattime?
Maybe you are going to need tocry.
Maybe you need to transformthat emotional state through
your creativity.
(27:28):
Maybe you're going to sing asong, do a painting, go in
nature, have a walk and justreconnect to that child you were
or to that experience.
That's what I mean at least tojust give some concrete examples
with, like connecting to thefeeling attached to the
experience.
Nadja (27:47):
And where is then the line that what you do as a coach
and therapy?
Because I think now you reallybrushed.
There is a line, right?
Gloria (27:59):
Yes, that's a very good question and I will be clear.
So I'm trained as a coach, I'mnot a therapist.
But I've done so many othertraining like beyond coaching,
to really learn about emotionsand support people with emotions
.
And it's true that theclassical coaching training
usually doesn't involve all theemotional work.
(28:20):
It's more like mindset work,belief work, so more working on
with the mind.
But I at some point saw that itand also I was interested in
more.
I saw that it's especially forgifted people, as we described
just before.
It's that you can understandbut the change doesn't happen.
And also seeing that in myjourney my emotions were a big
(28:41):
part of them.
So that's why I bring also thetopic of emotions and I don't
work as a therapist on emotionIf I make it very simple and
basic.
I say to people we don't need todig into the past, analyze
maybe as you would do it intherapy, and maybe that's what
(29:02):
you need Like, really you needto know, but the emotional work
I do is really just releasingthe emotion.
We don't need to go and tellthe story again, understand
everything.
You might not even know exactlywhat happened.
We just need to connect to what.
How does my body feel what'sthe emotion and how can I
release it.
And there I'm not doing coachinganymore.
(29:24):
I can do well, you could haveit also with some coaching but
like, really energy work.
I do it through art.
There you could say art therapyas well.
Yes, even though it's not as atherapist, I help people release
emotions and emotional statesthat are stuck through art.
I do it, which is energy work,and I also do it, like,
(29:46):
sometimes during the session,guiding people in their body and
whether it's throughvisualization or speaking to the
parts of themselves that arecoming up with the situation,
which again like, yes, I see,and for people who have
experienced their connectionwith therapy.
So I don't have a straight linebetween coaching and therapy,
(30:07):
just because I've learneddifferent tools and approaches
and I just use what the clientneeds.
Nadja (30:12):
But obviously, if you see that a person needs classical
you know more profound giftedtherapy, you would probably
refer them right.
Gloria (30:22):
A hundred percent and I always say, okay, that's that's.
I'm very clear with and honestwith people.
I'm like the situation you arebringing, I know we can work on
it.
Through what I can bring you,that would be more with a
therapist or if it's a heavytrauma, for example, and they
need to talk about it, gothrough it.
(30:44):
But really, like I see itworking very smoothly with my
clients, I just share them, theyunderstand and then we already,
through all the tools I bring.
The work I do is deep.
I remember also doing, uh likea master class and someone said,
well, it's not just superficialwork I do, I go deep.
(31:04):
That's why also sometimes youcould reconnect also to to
therapy.
I would say I, I don't reallycare about.
Is it coaching, is it therapy Ijust care about is it effective
and is it helping people?
And do I feel comfortable, ofcourse, myself to guide people
through it?
If not, then I'm going to sendthem somewhere else where it's
(31:25):
more appropriate and you justshared as well.
Nadja (31:29):
Like it is hard work, right, it is deep, it simple,
but it's not easy, right, it'sthis again, you need to go
through it, just cognitivelyunderstanding the concept of
like, oh yeah, okay, I'm goingto release, you know my emotions
and the energy, but it's work,yeah, yeah.
Gloria (31:54):
It is real work, deep work, deep work.
Like it's challenging, I don'tknow if I would.
I try at least to to make it asstill enjoyable.
It might sound weird but bringeither lightness, joy or for me
and that's where I why also Iwork around emotions, even
difficult emotions, you can facethem with a smile, with
(32:19):
compassion.
We don't have to be insomething very difficult, hard.
We can, in the approach and howwe work on it, have this
lighter, hopeful touch in movingthrough it.
Because, again, like what wewould see like as very negative
(32:40):
state, for me they are notnegative.
They are just a process ofdoing the work so that, like
going through the shadow, sothat you get to the gift and
what is really there for you.
Nadja (32:52):
And to empower them to live to their fullest self and
the self-knowledge of like yourpath is not the correct one.
You should be doing this, andwhy don't you?
(33:22):
Why won't you?
Right and just understandingthat your path is actually the
right one, that you're on?
Gloria (33:32):
Yeah, 100%.
I just wanted to ask you.
Nadja (33:33):
Yeah, 100%.
I just wanted to ask you.
So you said in the beginningthat when you learned about your
giftedness that you wanted toshare this with the world and
you shared your story ofembracing coaching and straight
jumped into gifted coaching.
But you're also doing otherthings, right.
(33:56):
Would you like to share whatelse you do and how you spread
the word of giftedness?
Gloria (34:02):
So I like one resource and really like one, like we
give, as you are doing, you knowfree resources so that people
can already move.
I think there is already a loton our free side and then, of
course, if you wanttransformation in your life,
like, you will need to investand get professional support,
but already on the free side.
Because, as you've heard myjourney, I felt quite alone and
(34:24):
with many questions and notwilling to be kind of and that
was my perspective but arrogantas seeing myself as gifted.
I created a blog.
It's very simple.
It's like you go my name,gloria Jensen, and then to the
blog section and here you havestories of gifted adults.
I was like I want to heargifted adult stories, a bit like
(34:46):
what you asked me and whatyou're doing at the beginning of
the podcast, and I really likesuper specific questions about
how do they live it personally,professionally, how was their
experience of the test, whatdoes gifted mean for them, and
digging into their personalstories, because that's what
(35:06):
people can relate to and canlike feel an echo to who they
are.
And I felt it's for many peoplewho are wondering if they're
gifted or not, for many peoplewho are wondering if they are
gifted or not.
It's a gentle way to enter inthe topic and kind of move with
the topic step by step and seethat there is a variety, because
that was important for me.
(35:27):
I didn't know at that time whenI started my journey, like you
can be gifted in so manydifferent ways and you have,
like I, interviewed giftedprofessionals but also gifted
people whom it's not their, liketheir work topic.
They just have their ownjourney with their giftedness,
so that people don't associate,oh, you need to be professional
to be happy and fulfilled andand that's like how, like I've
(35:50):
been doing for many years to toshare their stories.
And even people who are andknow they are gifted.
It helps them because they say,of course you have an echo to
how you are and it's alwaysuseful to either hear or read
people sharing your innerexperience.
It helps you validate it.
That's the wonderful part and Iguess for many listeners of
(36:10):
your podcast, that's what theyare experiencing.
You know the validation thatcomes from.
Oh, I'm not the only onefeeling that.
Nadja (36:18):
Yeah, exactly that was.
The reason for this podcast wasjust, you know, to explore why
people go into the giftedprofessional side.
But usually if you work in theprofessional field, most
probably you have a gifted storyand yeah.
Gloria (36:37):
That's also like to make a side note.
If people are still wonderingand that was also my conclusion
is, if you are so interested ingiftedness, you dig deeper, even
though you go away from thetopic, but you go back to it,
you go to conferences, you readabout it like at some point,
when someone is and even foryour professional journey, I'm
going to say the same when youare super interested by a topic
(36:59):
and you want to know more andmore and more, there is
something there for you.
It's impossible, like if youjust heard once about giftedness
, read I don't know an articleand you're like, oh yes, I am
gifted, and then you forgetabout the topic.
Well, I don't know if it'sreally relevant for you, but if
you are here listening to onepodcast after the other, reading
(37:20):
one book after the other, likeit's not a coincidence, and I
would like to say also thatthere's no gate.
Nadja (37:30):
You don't need to show the IQ test score at the
entrance to this podcast to thecommunities, the IQ test score
at the entrance to this podcastto the communities.
You know you can really enterfreely and you are embraced in
this space and that I felt.
You know me entering.
Everybody was very generouswith their resources, with
knowledge.
(37:50):
I felt really embraced and ifyou go into a space where you
don't feel embraced, then it'sthe space, it's not you, and if
you go into a space where youdon't feel embraced, then it's
the space.
Gloria (37:57):
It's not you, yeah, and it's so important that you
emphasize that.
I think it's a permission, likeauthorization for many.
Nadja (38:07):
Yeah, so, and you're embracing, embarking into a new
journey and I think you wouldlike to ask people to come and
join you.
So please share your newendeavor.
And where can people contactyou and for what are they
signing up?
Gloria (38:24):
So first, just my website, gloriajensencom, is
like a perfect way to contact me, but then also I know you are
going to put the links to all mysocial media and so on.
So I'm creating a podcast thatis called the Inner Space,
because that's for me, wherealso I help mostly people is in
their inner space, what'shappening inside of them,
(38:44):
emotionally, mentally, so thatthen, once we've done the work,
they can go into the world andput the actions in place that
are supported by their innerworld.
And I'm creating a podcastwhere, of course, I will share
my own experiences, my ownstories, but also have guests
and not professional guests, butyou can be a guest, which means
(39:06):
you can receive a free coachingthat is recorded so that you
have first, like, solutions toyour problems and also help
others moving through theirjourney.
And, like, there are three mainpillars First, I would say if
the interview resonated with you, then I might be the right
person for you, because I reallydo not believe, like every
coach is for everyone.
(39:27):
Like you need to have aresonance with the person's
words or perspective.
So if you have that, then thereis a higher possibility that
the person will have an impactand really help you in your
transformation.
So I would say, if peopleresonate with what I've shared
and they want to benefit from asession, it can be anonymous.
(39:47):
So there is like that they candecide and it's really just
audio and it's like there arethree main pillars.
I help really people aroundself-knowledge, as you said.
That's the fundament, soknowing themselves better.
For that I also use humandesign.
I don't know if you've everheard about it, nadia, never.
It's amazing.
I love this.
(40:08):
Human design is helping you getyour user's manual, like
understanding how your energyworks, how your intuition works,
like how do you take decisions.
It's an amazing tool.
I've made so many, I've used somany tools, like the MBTI
process, communication, theEnneagram, like there are so
many things, and for me, that'sthe tool where I'm like whoa,
(40:31):
that's very relevant because,again, I've trained myself into
it.
I'm using it for with myclients for more than two years
now and I see how helpful it isfor them.
So I use whether it's like myknowledge about high sensitivity
, about giftedness, about humandesign I use it so that people
can understand a bit more howthey operate, know more about
(40:52):
themselves, because I always say, like from self-knowledge
emerges direction, and directionis the third pillar, which is
creating, like orientingyourself, guiding yourself in
your life.
Of course, professionally is abig part, because work is a big
part of our life.
So creating a professionalproject, whether it's your
career or your business, that isaligned with who you are.
(41:15):
So then I go back to the firstpillar, which is about
self-knowledge, and the second,second pillar, in in the middle,
is really about thatself-mastery work around your
emotions and the mental part.
So basically it's like knowyourself, do the inner work,
because of course you can know,okay, that's the path.
(41:35):
But then you start thinking am Igood enough to do it, or will I
succeed, or will people want toembark on that journey with me?
And then it's like so that'swhy you can have I don't know
holes, a big cascade fire,whatever going on on your path.
So it's like, let's address theemotional and mental side of of
taking your path.
And also as a gifted person,you know, depending on the
(41:57):
experience you've had, if yourealize, okay, I'm gifted and
I'm like, oh, now I realize allmy gifts and I don't know a
certain area of my life I wantit to be my professional path.
And then all these maybe alsotraumatic, or stories that I've
experienced come up and and thenI'm like, oh, who am I to to do
that?
I'm like that needs to beaddressed so that you really
(42:19):
embark on a journey that isaligned with who you are.
So if people feel that's a likea, an approach, a methodology
that speaks to them, thenthey're super welcome.
We'll have the link, so theyjust have to complete a form.
I ask a few questions toprepare the session and then
they hop on and we do therecording and then they help
themselves and others throughthat session.
Nadja (42:41):
So it's a win, win, win, yes, amazing.
And that link they can go toyour Gloria Jensen coaching.
Or can you say the link again?
Gloria (42:51):
The best way I would say is I've sent you the link so
you can put it so they accessdirectly the form.
I have it also as my link inbio in my Instagram account.
Way I would say is I've sentyou the link so you can put it
so they access directly the form.
I have it also as my link inbio in my Instagram account, so
like okay, probably the best isin the show notes, so they have
direct access to it and I don'tget lost anywhere.
Nadja (43:08):
Exactly, we will put all the links in the show notes,
also to your coaching services,obviously, and your website, and
so can can navigate and findeverything.
Is there anything else that youwould like to share?
Something you wish people knew,something you wish you knew
earlier in your journey?
Gloria (43:27):
I believe for me it's really giving them the hope, the
I was going to say motivation,but it's not even the right word
the like, the longing they haveinside to really create a life
that is fulfilling and wherethey're like whoa, I'm happy
every day to wake up.
It's so worth it like.
(43:47):
I know it's not easy.
Depending on our story and oureducation, we might have to face
bigger or smaller obstacles,but it's like your life is so
much worth and that was mylearning from my journey is like
don't waste it.
Being someone else doingsomething that is not you.
Like really your heart.
(44:09):
You will feel so much peace andserenity in your heart and your
soul if you are on the paththat is you.
And there you will find so muchstrength as well, because you
are connected to that deepermission and purpose in you and
like, okay, I'm going to face myfears because that's so
important, that's what I'm goingto contribute to the world.
So please, if you are notalready on that journey, embark.
(44:30):
And if you are on that like,keep doing the work.
Like your happiness and yourcontribution is so worth and so
much worth for you and forothers.
Nadja (44:41):
We need you.
Yes, we need you all.
Thank you so much, and thankyou so much for being here,
gloria and I'm so excited to beable to share this recording
with the world.
So thank you, thank you forbeing here you know, recording
with with the world.
Gloria (44:58):
So thank you, thank you for being here.
Thank you so much, nadia, hugegratitude for making that space
for me and really congrats alsofor your podcast, because I know
many people benefit from itthank you, bye, bye, bye.
Nadja (45:10):
I hope you enjoyed this episode and you learned
something new, and, if you didlike, subscribe and leave a
review.
And if you feel like somebodyelse that you know could profit
from this, please send them alink to this show.
And if you want to learn more,you find everything at
giftedunleashedcom and you canalso subscribe to the newsletter
(45:32):
there, so you will always be upto date for new things that are
coming, and all the informationthat we mentioned today in the
episode will be on the shownotes for the episode.
So everything is right therefor you and, with that said, I
wish you a wonderful day and Isee you next time.
Bye.
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